


The Cursed Aldnoah

by LadyDeafLizz



Category: Aldnoah.Zero (Anime)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Additional Tags to Be Added, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2015-06-20
Packaged: 2018-03-20 08:26:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3643464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyDeafLizz/pseuds/LadyDeafLizz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Back when the Moon shattered that night, the mission went wrong. In the same night, I met Count Saazbaum of the Orbital Knights and my life changed. </p>
<p>It's my first time to write a fanfic, please easy on me.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

 

**~ * Chapter 1 * ~**

 

 

_To whoever reads this sacred journey,_

_this is the true tale of my_

_adventures with several_

_people I've known all my life._

 

 

**The Dark Side of the Moon**

_The Dragonfly on the Lily Pad_

 

* * *

 

“ _That night when the Moon shattered in half, when I had nearly lost my life upon protecting the important man when a foolish one from my unit went ahead and tried to assassinate the prince royal of the powerful royal Vers family. When the assassination attempt failed, that fool set himself self-destructed in the hopes of taking the prince to their death. I was knocked out by the blast for God knows how long until Dr. Troyard whose life I protect for the important mission on the order from UE woke me up. If it weren't for the strange dream of the dragonfly, I might have been dead.”_

 

 

* * *

 

_Hurts...._

 

_Hurts..._

 

_Hurts..._

 

No matter how many times he breathe, it still hurts. As he lie bleeding on the red-painted ground, glazing up at the familiar blue planet among all starry night sky with his glassy-looking hazel-purple eyes and the blood dripping on my chin from my rose-colored lips. _Heh, is that how I end up being like this in this horrid life?_ He chuckled weakly, wheezing as the warm air of cloud escaped from his mouth huffing.

 

_Hurts..._

 

_Hurts..._

 

_I wonder where the Doctor went...._

_Huh, I suppose...._

 

His part in this written page of the history must have been come to a last.... as soon as it came to an end, his dream of the peace will vanished once again...  _Damnit.... I probably failed to see what foresee during my mission to the MoonBase. Their hatred for the Martians are that unbreakable?_

 

_Am I going to die...?_

 

An sudden movement at the corner of his dead empty-looking eyes, as he saw the blue glow floating in the darkness. It looks like a dragonfly, but it is something different being... Like an otherworldly spirit, waiting to guide a lost one to somewhere... He know this creature... A urban story from his grandmother, she told him if he saw a blue dragonfly in his dream and it's a good omen for his family. A meaning of a change and a new light.

  _Oi, the Blue Dragonfly, are you here to guide me?_

_Heh, I cannot stand up and chase you._

_Sorry...._

 

Upon seeing the beautiful blue dragonfly closely to him, his blood-tainted hand shakily reaching out for the creature hovering in the air as his sights darkening and darkening. His wonder turned into fear, knowing if he missed a chance to find out if the stories from his grandmother were true.

 

_Let me touch you for a bit..._

_I bet you're like a little reptile with fairy wings._

 

With a final thought across his mind, as his hand failed to do what he desire to do and fell to the stained ground with a soft thump. _Little Dragon, have you seen a risk-loving moronic doctor wandering, haven't you? I need to find him.... I hope his boy's okay....._

 

**“Commander Mizushima!!”**

_* * *_

_“My name is Mizushima Khundmir. Yeah, I know my name is quite unique odd for a half-Japanese twenty-three years old boy like me. My father's a Japanese while my mother's a Indian. I prefer the nickname “Khu” to my birth name, although. I am a commander of my unit on the important mission I went with the well-known scientist of UE, to protecting him and his boy while discussing the Aldnoah project with the Prince. But something went wrong...."_

 

His, once clouded, now clear and sharp purple eyes snapped open upon hearing his name, staring upon at the white ceiling but his vision was suddenly invaded by the familiar face of the scientist with a relieved smile. 

"Commander Mizushima! You're awaken!" 

Khu tilted his head weakly toward the doctor, his shaky hand reached to his heavy bandaged head with a bit of blood soaked through the white cloth in pain. "Wh.... What the...? Dr. Troyard, what's going on?" He mumbled surly, displeasing with his now headaches. "Is the Prince uninjured? And what of my unit?"

"His Highness is unharmed, thanks to Doctor Troyard and you knocked the Terran assassin away from him." The unfamiliar male voice next to his right side caused his head whirled back to see the man in a fine red suit. _A  Orbital Knight._ His mind helpful informed him as he stared warily at the Count stand with his dark brown hairs groomed back like every one stuck-up arrogant men he had known during his missions. 

"And your unit is dead except for two men of yours, Doctor Troyard and his boy."

_Great. I'm going to kill whoever ordered the secret assassination - not on my mission while I'm alive, damn it!_  He groaned, pushing himself up from his bed he was laying on. His arms were shaking so much under the pressure he was struggling to get up. The Doctor stopped him from doing that could accidentally harm him more than he thought.

"Stop, Commander Mizushima! You've suffering the great injures on your ribs and head!" Dr. Troyard scolded, his hazel eyes narrowing in disapprove behind his glasses as he pushed the wounded commander back onto the bed. "And beside, you're been in a coma for nearly six months! I am very relieved that concussion you have is not that serious." 

_"Wait, Six Months?!"_  Khu exclaimed with a wince as he lightly touched his head. "Where the hell are we, Doctor Troyard?!" 

"You are in stationed in the clinic room of Count Saazbaum's Landing Castle, Commander." 

The familiar male voice with much more regal than the count as the owner of the voice stepped into the room, dressed into the white suit and well-kept silver hair groomed back like the count... His royal figure that reminded Khu of the manga books he had read back when he was a high school student. 

"I suppose we didn't introduce to each other before that assassination attempt. I am Royal Prince Joachim Vers Rayvers, Emperor Rayregalia Vers Rayvers' one of the sons." The Royal Prince introduced himself with a cold smile and cat-like slitted sea-green eyes lit up like a cat had found a hidden treat. 

...... _Shit._

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the time of Moon Base before the Hyper Gate went out of the control, the Commander faced with Martians and their endless hatred for Terrans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the creation of Aldnoah.Zero and any of its characters, I own my characters.

**~ * Chapter 2 * ~**

 

 

_"That man, Royal Prince Joachim Vers Rayvers, stood before me. His presence is unnerving me like a white snake wrapping around my throat, slowly strangling me to death. The feeling I got from him screamed that he is not to be trusted. The count I've seen few times during my unit and I arrived on the Moonbase, I've met him one time. He is called Count Saazbaum, one of the Vers Empire Orbital Knights' 37 Clans. His reaction to the prince is not most assuring me at all. I'm certain that there is something fishy about that incident.... It might be more than just a simple assassination."_

 

* * *

 

**The Boy Whose Eyes to Foretell**

The Snake in the Tree

 

* * *

 

"I suppose we didn't introduce to each other before that assassination attempt. I am Royal Prince Joachim Vers Rayvers, Emperor Rayregalia Vers Rayvers' one of the sons." The Royal Prince introduced himself with a cold smile and cat-like slitted sea-green eyes lit up like a cat had found a hidden treat.

_....Shit._

"Remind me again, who are you and what is your reason for coming here?" He asked, no.... more like demanded for the information as he narrowed his eyes at Khu, slowly regarding him in the way the cat regarded the mouse. 

The commander tilted his head a bit in a uncertain respect to the regal figure, his bluish-purple eyes narrowed in wary at him. ".... And I, Mizushima Khundmir, am the commander of my unit from United Forces of Earth under on the order to accompany Doctor Troyard and his son during the arrival to the Moon Base for the sake of the Aldnoah project." 

"You are not _involve_ any attempt to assassinate my life, are you?" 

Khundmir managed to not to balk at the accusing tone the prince had toward him. Frowning, he crossed his arms minding any scratches on his arms and glared coolly at the royal prince. "I do not like to be accused of something I don't know what is going on and don't commit such a crime. Not on my mission to make sure Dr. Troyard's safety. I manage to stop the suicidal assassin from taking you out, Prince Joachim. Are you going to thank me for saving your life?"

Prince Joachim seem to be displeased with the commander's attitude, his lip pulled into a snarl. "Watch your tongue, Terran. You are quite lucky since Dr. Troyard begged me not to order all of you to be executed." With this, he sharply turned and stormed out of the clinic room. The air suddenly become lighter now that the presence of the royal member of the Vers family disappeared.

Dr. Troyard sighed tiredly, pushing his glasses onto his nose and glowered irately at the injured commander in the bed. "I would have thought this is going to be worse at the moment you opened your mouth, Commander Mizushima. If it weren't for me, you'll be dead in the space now." 

Khu cringed. "My apologize, Sir." 

Dr. Troyard sighed again. 

Suddenly the commander heard a laugh from the count in the red suit Khu had completely forgot about standing in the right corner of the room as in the opposite of the door. His bluish-purple eyes flickered from the tired-looking doctor to the amused-looking count. "You must be Count Saazbaum." He stated narrowing his eyes in suspicious at the dark brown haired man. "What is in the hell going on? Last thing I remembered is when I tackled that assassin down... and he committed a suicide; blown himself up." 

The count smiled humorlessly, "The Hyper Gate is destroyed." 

Khu gaped disbelief at him. 

 

* * *

**Eight Months Earlier...**

**Year of 1999 on the Moon Base**

"Mwhaaaaa! What a great view of our beloved home planet!" 

Hearing one of his crews, Commander Mizushima turned his head and sees the twenty years old spiked purple haired boy with a dark blue banana cloth wrapped around his head, his red eyes sparkling in wonder as he pressed his face onto the strange glass-like screen at the view of the Earth. It is a strange sight for a soldier kneeling on his knees while his butt lifting in the air.... like a dog in the space.  

"Yamato." The commander growled sternly, crossing his arms across his chest glaring icily at the grinning soldier. "Get off. You looks like an idiot."

The spiked purple haired soldier, now known as Zendi Yamato, sighed disappointingly as he unpressed his face off the strange floor. "Kill-joy." He muttered straightening his uniform, ignoring the dark glower stare from his commander.

One of the crews sighed, as the eighteen years old soldier with white hair in the ponytail lifted a cigarette out of his mouth and opened his sky blue eyes to stare blankly at Yamato. "We are in the Landing Castle that belongs to one of the Counts. Show respect, Zendi."

"Shut up, Wolf!"

"Up Yours!"

"Officer Zendi, Officer Wolf!" Commander Mizushima snarled at them, fed up with two soldiers' usual bickering. "One more word out of you two, I'm putting you to the duty of cleaning a whole ship once we get back to Earth!" 

"Yes Sir!" A union replay from two soldiers quickly, before they glared at each other.

 _Honestly,_ Commander Mizushima thought wearily with his eyes closing, _when Zendi Yamato from Japan, Tokyo and Lucas Wolf from France, Bordeaux meet each other under the wrong impression on each other. I do not know the story, but it's been like that since that time._

"I do hope my boy do not grow to be like them, Commander." 

Khu opened his eyes to see the Lieutenant approaching him with an amused smile. "Lieutenant Kaizuka." He said with a polite nod at her, looking over her shoulder to see her husband, Lieutenant Commander, quietly discussing with the lead scientist, Dr. Troyard, among the engineering expert team. "Who is that scientist I have to accompany under the order from United Forces of Earth?"

Lt. Kaizuka turned her head to look at them. "That's Doctor Troyard. I may not know much about him, but I do know he was sent by UFE to study Aldnoah Drives." She said with her shoulders shrugged in the way that implied she don't know much about his background.

Commander Mizushima slowly nodded in understanding, he opened his mouth to ask more question but his eyes caught the small movement behind the scientist and he realized it was a kid clinging shyly on the tall man's white robe.  _A kid? What is he doing here? It's not a safe place for a child to be in!_

"Why is that kid doing here?" 

The Lt. Commander Kaizuka and the lead scientist Dr. Troyard looked up in startle upon the stern voice toward them as the commander walked to them before he could think clearly, his eyes focusing on the startled look on the child with a hint of fear in his clear, innocent eyes looking up back at him.

"This is my only son, Slaine Troyard." Dr. Troyard said quietly, looking stern with glasses. "He don't have a place to go after my wife's passed away, so I took him with me where I can keep an eye on him. Problem?"

Taken back at that, Khu blinked and glanced down at the quiet boy behind the scientist with a thoughtful look on his face. "I see. As long as he didn't get in the way, I have no problem with him being here." He sighed, clasping his hands behind his back and nodded sharply toward the Lt. Commander Kaizuka as Kaizuka-san's wife slowly walking back to them.

Suddenly, the door opened with a sound of whoosh and then one of the Martian soldiers in the grey uniform announced with a stiff face, even a slightly sweat on his forehead proved he wasn't at least comfortable being around the Terrans. "We have arrive at the Moon Base, sir." 

"Thank you." 

The door closed again, the Commander turned back to his soldiers. "Officer Zendi, Officer Wolf, you'll be staying at our space ship awaiting for my order once Dr. Troyard completed the project."

"What! You mean we're babysitting our spaceship and workers while you're going to the activation factor place?" Yamato protested, but to be quiet when Khu shot him a stern glare.

"Are we clear?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good."

 

* * *

 

_"Hyper Gate is pretty much something to activate the Aldnoah drive, according to the lead scientist whose name I later learned that Doctor Troyard. Which it allowed for humanity to colonize Mars. Dr. Troyard's job is to study these Aldnoah drives and thought up some theories I do not care to listen about. He even had a blueprint of the design of the Hyper Gate II, that reminds me of a movie I once watched when I was a kid. I thought that Aldnoah drive is just some thing like a electric fuel, but I have a feeling I may be wrong."_

 

* * *

 

**Five weeks later....**

**Hyper Gate, on the Surface of the Moon.**

"So this is Hyper Gate...." Commander Mizushima stated in a slight surprise as he was taking in the sights of the ancient technology with strange symbol and beaming from all holders on the moon's surface. "It's something I never seen with my own eyes." In the space suit, he hopped almost lazily toward the scientist in the space suit and his team as he silently glad the kid is not in the sight of anywhere around them.

He had to sent his lieutenant commander and his wife he trust to look after the kid, since the couples have experiences with their children Inaho and Yuki before. Probably that Troyard kid is about a year older than their son Inaho and easy to handle on their own.

He sighed.   

 _How long until the Aldnoah project had to be complete? All I want is for this to be over with and I can go back to my family._ With that thought of his pregnant wife waiting at home for him to come back to her and their soon to be newborn baby, the commander smiled warmly. _Just wait a little longer, I'll come back as soon as possible...._

"Commander Mizushima!"

Khu snapped out of his trance and turned to the approaching Warrant Officer Falkenrath, 23 years old German whom was placed into his unit by United Forces of Earth HQ... More likely from Vice-Admiral  _Eelis Hakkinen_ , Khu assumed with a distaste. 

"Yes, Warrant Officer?" He answered crossing his arms across his chest, looking almost bored at the soldier.

"You and Dr. Troyard are being summoned to the Audience Chamber by the Royal Prince of the Vers Family. Immediately." Warrant Officer Falkenrath reported with a salute to the Commander who was sighing tiredly.

"Thank You." 

After an hour, the commander and Dr. Troyard's engineering expert team were taking off their white space suits in the sheltered room that protected them from the outside. Khu unclasped his space helmet off his head, letting his long dark brown hairs rolling down his chin with a exhausted sigh as he dropped his space suit into the locker. _It's hot being in that space suit._ And then the familiar small movement caught the corner of his eyes, he watched the child ran toward to his father, Dr. Troyard and chattered excitedly. 

After few minutes of redress into his high ranking uniform, he started to glide upward toward the pedway as one of his hands gripped the cold metal of the rail fence. 

 _Slaine Troyard...._ The commander thought with smile, watching the bluish-green sharp-eyed smiling child.  _He's got such a good eyes. Wonder if he have an ability to predict the future like his dad?_

Soft mumbling words slowly float into his ears with sharp sense of hearing, he turned slightly to left to noticing three counts in the red suits among all blue and grey uniforms. One of the three counts, the groomed blond haired man with emotionless icy-blue eyes, spat with a disgusted look on his face as he glared at the groomed brown haired man with an semi-amused look on his face. Behind the men, the long beautiful black haired woman in the red suit crossing her arms with an annoyed look on her face while watching them arguing.

 _Probably about us, Terrans._ Khu thought irritatingly, pulling himself over the rails and his army combat boots landed on the metal floor with a soft thump causing the two counts and one countess looked over the pedway and noticed him. _Dr. Troyard better made sure that damn project works and we will be all good._

The blond haired count shot him a dirty look as if he looked down at the insect before he whirled around and stormed with a slightly noticeable limp in his leg as he went toward the three giant robots the commander had never seen before. The brown haired count looked clearly amused before he turned and followed after the fuming man.

"You must be Commander Mizushima of the Terrans I have heard so much about?"

Glancing away from the duo to the beautiful countess with a smile, the commander nodded slightly feeling uncertain of what to react to a Orbital Knight, especially this woman. _It's like looking at a rose with full of thorns, looking beautiful but dangerous._

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Called me Orlane. I am a Viscountess, a member of the Vers Empire Orbital Knights' 37 Clans." The Viscountess introduced herself, smiling slightly. "You must forgive Count Cruhteo, he had been injured in one of the battles and he'll never be the same again. Since that fated battle, he despised all Terrans unfortunately."

 _Ah, that explains with his limping._ Commander Mizushima thought with a tired smile.  _Just one glance, I'm automatically being placed on his top list to hate. Great. Just great._

"Noted." 

The Viscountess looked amused at the resigned expression on the commander's face. "Viscountess Orlane!" As one of the Martian in the gray uniform glided toward her. "Your Deucialion is ready!" She nodded thanking silently to her soldier before she glanced back to the Commander. "Well, I must go." She turned and glided back toward to the "Deucialion" robot.

 * * *

_"Those giant robots which I've never seen before in my life on the battlefield, as I later discovered that they are called Kataphrakt, powered by the Aldnoah. More I learned about them, more I felt a dread coming. If the Mission somehow went bad, those Orbital Knights will massacred us without even move a inch. There had to be a weakness for the Kataphrakt to have in order to defeat them. Beside, it'll be interesting if we did manage to get hands on one of those Kataphrakt...."_

* * *

The Commander glided through the pedway, noticing the same child he had seen with Dr. Troyard hanging out with those moronic soldiers Officer Zendi and Officer Wolf. "I do hope they are not filling all those nonsense things into his head, especially Yamato." He mused amusingly to himself, landed next to the larger spaceship that was moved from the Landing Castle to the Moon Base, still being dwarfed compared to the Landing Castles.

"Ah. Hey Commander!" Officer Zendi greeted with a toothy grin, raising his gloved hand in greet to the approaching commander. "I'm just telling this Troyard kid about our heroic adventures with those Martians."

"Careful. Those words might get you in trouble someday, Zendi." Officer Wolf frowned, narrowed his eyes at him as he exhausted a cloud of smoke from his mouth as he held the lit cigarette between his gloved fingers.

Khu sighed in annoyance as the soldiers bickering again.

"Are they like that every time, sir?"

Startled at the soft voice below him, he looked down at the Troyard kid with those sharp-looking clear eyes. "Unfortunately, yes." He chuckled, crossing his arms and observing at the small child and then glances at the bickering soldiers in the background. "All time, kid. I must go, to join your dad and the Prince of Mars in the chamber. Look after this child, Soldiers." 

Officer Zendi looked brightly at the order, grinning like a dog as he messed up the protesting child's pale blond hairs. At same time Officer Wolf looked slightly annoyed, not fond of the idea of having to look after the kid together with the idiot.

Commander Mizushima shook head as he headed off toward the Audience Chamber, he barely missed the purple haired soldier's question to the child about what's his favorite animal.

"....birds..."

He smiled.   


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> English isn't my first language so I'll apologize in advance. In the chapter, it's now Yamato and Lucas's turn to do during the failed mission.

~ * Chapter 3 * ~

 

_“The Vers Family are completely unknown to me more than those Orbital Knights and their Martian soldiers. Not even I knows how many Rayvers, Allusias, and Envers among the Emperor. Only one Royal Prince I did recognize from the communication in UFE, the heir to the throne, is Gilzeria Vers Rayvers I later learned when I was at the Moon Base that he is now Second Emperor, according to Count Saazbaum. Something went wrong, UFE send in covert infiltrators, that we are not aware of, to assassinate the princes and the Orbital Knights fought back; the Hyper Gate went out of control… We have fail to get a chance to change Gilzeria’s mind. But my only question that comes to my mind - which one of them starts the war, despite there is a ceasefire between us?”_

 

* * *

 

**The Tiger and the Wolf**

_Survival of the Fittest_

 

* * *

**Six Months Earlier...**

**Year of 1999 on the Moon Base**

 

 

“Seagulls?” 

Blinking in quiet surprise at the pale blond small boy stood before the kneeling spiked purple-dyed haired soldier, supporting himself against the UFE white space ship. “Why would you likes seagulls, kiddo?” He asked curiously, his black gloved hands rubbing his chin in confusion. 

“Gulls are known for their soaring abilities and agility when fighting over a catch.” Startled at the sudden spoken voice next to them, they both looked right to the standing soldier under the spaceship’s nose and his black boot crushed his cigarette onto the floor as the silver haired man ignored the dirty looks from few martians roaming over through the hangars. 

“What are you saying?” Yamato asked his left eyebrow twitching in annoyance at the sight of his companion, recalling his fights with him just a moment ago. The small boy, Troyard’s kid, fixed his clear teal eyes on the soldier with curiosity.

His sharp sky blue eyes staring emotionlessly at them, Lucas continued with his hands tucking into his army jacket pockets. “As the symbol among all air force pilots, like this moronic pilot over there….” 

“Hey!” 

“…their appearance can help you find the strength and insight to rise above a problem in your life. Their amazing aerodynamics show us that we may see things from points of view. Through the metaphor of flight inspires us to seek a higher purpose for our lives and become great at what we love to do.” He glanced over to the lines of the giant foreign-like robots.

The white and golden Kataphrakt shined brightly under the ceiling lights, their “eyes” glowering brightly as if the lustrous green liquid were running through them.  Almost as if the so called “Aldnoah” is like a life-force in them. 

“… _’The gull sees farthest who flies highest’_ …. Those words are from my previous superior before I was transferred into Commander’s unit. I still cannot understand the meaning of those words, although.” He crossed his arms with a humorless smile. “I’m a former sniper, after all.” 

Yamato snorted. “This coming from a guy who never miss.” 

The sniping soldier turned slightly to the young Troyard. “Through our individual experiences, each of us is trying to find his way to freedom. Freedom is the right to occupy our own space, for that is the only way to eliminate fear.” He started to look forlornly, his eyes flickering toward the low-class martian soldiers, recognizing the flash of fear and wary barely on their faces before become stony blank look as they went past the high-ranking soldiers. “There can be no freedom where fear abides, for in fear we are driven into non-conscious behavior. Sometimes… Sometimes, pursuing our dreams alienates us from others, like the rest of the flock.” 

Eyes widened confusedly, Slaine was startled when the wolf-like eyes turned to his clear teal eyes again. 

“If that happens, we are thrust into deciding whether or not to continue on our path or succumb to peer pressure…. Have you ever had to make this choice? Troyard, if you had to, what would you do?”

“…I….Uh….” Slaine sputtered, grabbing his sleeve as he felt nervous under the predatory stare from the former sniper. “…uh…”

Yamato reached for the boy’s shoulder to grip on, he pulled him away from the guy he disliked. “You’re scaring him, dude.” He scolded with a displeased frown. “Kid, want to check out our advanced spacecraft porter? Hey, Akiyama-chan!” 

“How many times I tell you to not add my name with a  _‘chan’_ , Zendi-san!” The young man with the looks of the seventeen years old protested somewhere inside the spaceship, as his brown-haired green-eyed head popped out of the opened door, frowning down at the grinning soldier. “What do you want?” 

“This kid want to see that spacecraft porter of yours!” Shoving the surprised boy toward to Akiyama with the toothy grin, the  former pilot soldier shut the door ignoring their protests inside the spaceship. 

“… You’re too way overboard doing this, Zendi.” 

“Shut up, Wolf!” 

“I don’t care about seagulls either way. I’d personally prefer the wolves to myself.” Lucas mumbled with his eyes closing, his head leaning against the spaceship. “You said I never miss… What about you, whose those skills to piloting the air force jets and a flying ace with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combats? You’re like a Tiger in the Sky.” 

“Touché."

 

**_Silence…_ **

 

“Remember how we meet when you were transferring to our units a year ago?”

Lucas snorted, his eyes lit up at the memory and he can not resist to jab at the pilot that two years older than himself. “You were jealous of my skills in the close-combat fight, weren’t you?” He teased, his lip quirked upward slightly.

 “As if!”

 

* * *

 

_[Flashback]_

 

 

 

 

 

“Ah, this one looks empty,” Lt. Kaizuka said entering one of the rooms. Lucas glanced around, seeing the walls were padded as well as a large section of the floor. In the corner was what looked like a closet which probably held work out gear and the like.  

“So what’s the deal, bastard?” Yamato asked, glaring darkly at Lucas. 

“Well, I got to thinking,” the youngest sniper said turning to face Yamato. “Since you seem so unhappy for me to be here, I thought I’d give you a fair chance for a victory.” Yamato raised an eyebrow at this and waited for him to continue. “You can beat me here,” Lucas answered taking a couple of steps back. “If you can win, I’ll ask Commander to re-transferring me to other units.”

“And the others are just going to accept that?” Yamato asked suspiciously. 

 

“Of course.” Lucas smiled slyly. “Lt. Kaizuka here personally will witness this challenge. He agreed.” 

Lt. Kaizuka sighed. 

Yamato thought it over for a few moments. It sounded pretty cut and dry, but the pilot doubted it would be as easy as the guy made it sound. He’d just freely revealed to Yamato that he dragged a second in command of the unit, a witness most likely well earned. Plus the guy was taller than Miss Kaizuka but skinner than Lt. Kaizuka… and probably likewise good at taking a hit. 

Still…. even if he was a sniper, that didn’t make him invincible. Or unbeatable.

“Alright,” Yamato agreed at length. “Sounds good to me!” Without giving Lt. Kaizuka time to even begin the match, Yamato zipped in. He charge straight and when he was two feet away from Lucas, he suddenly changed directions and aimed a kick at the soldier’s knee. Suddenly, the spiked purple-dyed haired boy was staring up at the stoic-looking guy from the floor….

He didn’t even realize what had happened and why he was on the floor.

 

“Oh, sorry. Did we start already?” Lucas asked looking down at him. The small grin on his face clearly said he knew exactly what had happened. “My bad. Here…. Maybe I should say ‘go’ next time so I know you’re attacking.” 

Yamato ignored him and slowly got to his feet. As he did so, he suddenly replayed the last moment in his mind. He remembered flying at the sniper with his foot aimed at his knee….

…Then the bastard caught his foot, jerked the other off the ground and flipped him in the air making him land face down and having to turn himself over. 

“Yeah right, you knew what was going on, you bastard.” Yamato accused testing out his limbs to find he was still able to move normally. 

“Oh, were you attacking?” Lucas taunted. “I felt a light gust on my leg and simply batted it away. If that was an actual attempt, then it looks like you’ll be here for awhile.” 

_Why that bastard…_

“Keep laughing it up, you _little shit_.” He said readying for another attack. “First thing I’m gonna do with my victory is chop off that stupid ponytail of yours.” 

Lucas chuckled quietly. “Well, come on then, old man. Make my day.” 

Yamato forced a breath out to calm himself. Despite being built like a starving dog, the guy could move pretty quick. He wasn’t even bothering to guard himself. It was like he wanted Yamato to go after his open spots. He needed to catch the bastard off guard somehow. 

As he was devising a way to do this, the quiet man suddenly came charging. Yamato barely had time to dodge as Lucas’ fist went whistling past his head. The pilot was momentarily shaken by the notion that Lucas’ punches might have even more force than his commander’s. 

His moment of shock was all the sniper needed to sweep the legs out from under the pilot and pin him to the floor using only his foot and his weight surprisingly heavy on the pilot’s back. “So, is that the end of the fight then, Zendi?” He asked tilting his head, looking down at him. 

“Not. A. _Fucking_. Chance.” Yamato gritted his teeth and used every ounce of strength he could to push himself up high enough to get his knees under him. 

Lt. Kaizuka sighed, rubbing his forehead tiredly. “Just give up.” 

Lucas waited until the pilot was kneeling before finally getting off and looking down at him with a sneer. “You really are stubborn. Just like a wild tiger in the cage.” He smiled slightly. “If you think you can keep going, then let’s just get this next round started.” 

Yamato got back onto his feet, not wanting to call it quits just yet. He may not be as strong as this stupid wolf-looked guy but he had one more little trick up his sleeve. It was a trick Pops had taught him years back. In fact, Yamato had learned most of his fighting from his old man. Not enough to go toe to toe with a sniper, that was for sure. Just enough so that Yamato could defend himself, a necessity when you lived in the crime-infested city.  

Rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck, Yamato dug the balls of his feet into the floor and pushed off. He first darted left, then right, then faked an attack down the center. He pulled back at the last second when he saw Lucas go to counter. Yamato took that opportunity sidestep the sniper and enter the corner pocket of his vision where Yamato would be all but invisible. 

Lucas seemed to freeze when Yamato made his move and he silently celebrated his good fortune before shooting forward and aiming for the sniper’s throat. Just before the hit landed, the sniper’s hand came out of nowhere, blocked the blow and twisted the arm behind his back and pulled up. 

“Nice move, Zendi.” He expressed tightening his hold. “But I’ve fought opponents who were actually invisible before.” 

“You’re an ass,” Yamato retorted trying to get his arm released. It didn’t take long for him to stop though as everything he did only hurt worse and did nothing to the other guy. 

“Yeah, I get that a lot too,” Lucas replied with a quiet chuckle. “Ready to call it quits yet?” 

“Hell _No_!” 

Suddenly, the scary-looking commander appeared at the doorway with a glare on his stormy face and crossed his arms on his chest startling all soldiers including the Lt. Kaizuka who cringed at the sight of his high-ranking superior.  

“WHAT IS THE HELL GOING ON?!” 

 

_[Flashback end]_

 

* * *

 

"Man, that commander is sure scary." Yamato sighed, chuckling quietly as he tossed the white bouncing ball up and down in his right hand out of the boredom while his other hand rested behind his head. "I thought he'd decked us for disobeying the rules: No fights among units." 

"It's your fault for starting it, Zendi." Lucas crossed his legs on the floor next to him.

"Hey! It's not my fault because you're so arrogant for coming to our unit like that!"

"Speaking of arrogant..."

"Huh?"

The cold sky blue eyes darted back to the low-class martian soldiers roaming across the floors and the pedway through the space hangars. "Haven't you noticed something's off about them? It's like as if they are incapable of standing up for themselves and their hatred are that strong. Like a pack of starving wolves that are waiting for a next meat."

"Lucas?" Yamato stilled his movement that hold the white ball in his fist, his crimson eyes on him. "What did you mean? I did not understand." 

"I wouldn't be surprised if someone had happen to direct the pack of starving wolves toward where the herd of sheep are, despite the fact it also means the armed shepherds among the herd." The sniper stated softly, turned his head slightly to the pilot.

 The Pilot frowned. "Are you saying..." 

_Ka-BOOM!!!_

The entire Moon Hangars rattled at the loud noise, the floor trembling under the martian soldiers that movement nearly caused them stumble over with startled looks on their faces and angry exclaiming voices were heard in the air. 

"Wha... What the hell!?" Yamato exclaimed loudly, trying to get onto his feet in a startle manner that was insisted into every soldiers for to reaction to the hint of the sudden loud noise. Unlike the pilot, the sniper swift landed onto feet and wasted no time to grab the rifle from the spaceship before running toward the direction of the sound. 

"Yamato! You go check on the boy and others inside while I'm going to find them!" Lucas ordered, not caring about the protesting words that might escaped from the pilot's mouth as he disappeared into the doorway. 

"Aw, hell!"

Officer Zendi entered into the UFE Knossos spaceship with the door shut tight, gliding past his startled pilot fellow, few cargo haulers, two engineers, and other few crews he cared not to remember their names and then he crawled through the vent to find Akiyama and Troyard kid stumbled onto the floor looking stunned, along with the spacecraft router next to them. "You ok, buddy?" 

"I'm alright..."

Yamato turned to Slaine. 

"And you, kid?" 

"Y-Yes...." 

"Good." The military aviator nodded softly, then back to Akiyama with a stern stare. "Get the kid to dress in spacesuit and send him to Parnassos Base right now. It's not safe for a child like him to be in the state of what happening now."

"What about Dad?!" Slaine protested, gripping on the officer's pant worriedly. "Where is he?!"

Yamato's crimson eyes softened at the child's face. "Officer Wolf will get your dad, I promise. But I have to get you out of the Moon Base first." As Akiyama brought the small-sized white spacesuit to them, the pilot kneed down to look at the 12 years old child in the eyes. "Trust me, I swear I'll make sure you'll see him no matter what!" With a small grin, he gently shoved the kid now in the spacesuit into the rocket and set a destination to the Parnassos Base in the space.

They watched the rocket flew out of the spaceship into the darkness of the space. Among the space, there are sudden battles between the Martian robots and the space battlers in the space.

Akiyama frowned. "Is it safe for him to be there?"

"Commander had ordered me to do just in case if there are people whom bound to be breaking the ceasefire, wether one of us or one of them...." Yamato scowled darkly. "I hate to agree, but he's predicted it right. I'm even not sure there is a real ceasefire at all...."

"Officer Zendi-san...."  

 

* * *

 

_“We might never know the truth.... We might never know what Second Emperor Gilzeria are being capable of. By time when I had manage to get words out, I found out the Martian Kataphrakt were already in the Earth. By time when I asked my soldiers, I found out Dr. Troyard's son were never at the Parnassos Base that night... He was at the red planet, Mars, our enemy's birthplace. By time when I..... I had learnt of the assassination attempt under the secret mission... leading by my old companion..."_

__* * *_ _

 

The specialist ran through the hallway, holding the rifle, an assault rifle to exact, as he keenly searched every corner before he passed. In the corner of his right eye, he could see the battles in the space through the window. "As expect of that man...." He muttered darkly under his breath. "A mere ceasefire is nothing to him, just another speckle to him to squish on under his well-polished shoe." 

 

_P-taff_

 

_P-taff_

 

_P-taff_

 

His icy sky blue eyes narrowed at the sharp noises filled his ears, he readied his rifle in front just in case if he find a hostile attack from whoever he will face. _That's sounds of....hand guns._

**"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!"**

Lucas was surprised at the next sounds, this time it's not sound of gunshot.... It is a scream of.....

"A woman!" 

He speed up toward the direction of the scream to the door that was slightly opened, most likely being forced to. He leaned his back against the wall, peeping over the opened doorway silently. In his view, the familiar uniform of a soldier in a dark spacesuit standing surrounded by dead corpses on the blood-tainted floor and aiming the handgun directly at the cowing maidservant whom seem to protecting the young crying child. 

_Click._

The sound of the handgun clicked made the girls whimpered fearfully, tear-marked on their cheeks had Lucas snapped and his logical thought went out of the window, the instincts of the desire to protect the innocents filled his body as he lashed out, expertly shot the man down causing two other men in alert.

The movements of other two men in the corner caused him to automatically fired two bullets in their minds, dropping the dead bodies on the floor in the span of seconds.

He did live up to his title as a expert sniper, after all.

_Hn. Yamato's right, I never miss._

A soft whimper directed his attentions away from the now dead corpses to the cowering girls on the floor clinging onto each other in fear at him, the specialist stepped toward them as they flinched at his approaching figure.

"....Are you alright?"

The Martian Maidservant snapped her head up in shock, looking stunned at how the scary Terran that killed his own comrades that asked if they are alright. Just who this man is? 

"...Who are you...?" She shakily demanded, holding the small princess in her arms protectively and narrowed her green eyes at him.

"My name is Officer Lucas Wolf, a one of the unit leaded by Commander Mizushima whom accompanied Dr. Troyard on the mission to have a discussion with Second Emperor Gilzeria Vers Rayvers. May I ask who are you two and why these guys after you?" He introduced himself, looking around and frowned disgustingly at a dead UFE soldier on the floor next to him. 

_So they choose to covert infiltrators to assassinate important people..._  His sky blue eyes flickered to the young Martian girl beside her maidservant and then to the dead martian woman and other martian soldiers on the floor. _I'm going to assume these people must be somewhat related to the Second Emperor._

"I am Maidservant Andraya and this is her Highness, Princess Lermina Vers Envers, one of the daughters of the Second Emperor Gilzeria Vers Rayvers."

Lucas blinked. 

_**KA-BOOM!!** _

 

__* * *_ _

 

Meanwhile, the UFE Knossos spaceship rocked violently on now shattered floor of the Moon Base hangers and stumbling back into the space among all now reduced onto the rubbles of what is left of the Moon Base.

On inside, Yamato is now in the space suit, holding his head slightly in a daze after bashing his head against the computers as the lights flickered on and off, as if the spaceship had been taking hits by pieces of moon rocks. Thank God, that he wore his space helmet on or he would cracked his brain open and it won't be pretty on sight.

"Ow.... What the hell...?" He muttered weakly, wobbling over to Akiyama's body motionlessly over on floor under some of the cargo boxes and shoved the cargo off the engineer. "Akiyama-chan....? Akiyama...? Akiyama Kenichi?"

"Ugh...."

Yamato sighed in relief, for a second he had thought his buddy was dead. "Thank God, Akiyama... You're alive. Any injures?" 

"Well....My.... arm..." Akiyama huffed painfully and licked his bloody lower lip, gesturing weakly toward his left arm, in the plain view that his left arm was utterly crushed under the cargo. "....It hurts..."

Yamato flinched at the sight of Akiyama's left arm and swore under his breath, knowing that arm was probably already broken by now and glancing around for a object to raise the cargo off his arm. "Hold on, buddy... I'm getting this thing off of you." He said softly, trying not to panic and then he spotted a piece of a broken pipe laying on the floor. "That's it!" He exclaimed, seizing the slightly bended silver pipe and impaled under the cargo to heave with great effort. 

When the cargo was heaved, the pilot told the engineer to get out of the way before he had to drop the heavy cargo and Akiyama did.

_Thump._

Both they collapsed on the floor, panting heavily and injured as the cargo fell. "...I owe you one now...." Akiyama breathed tiredly, squeezing his eyes closed tightly and gritted his teeth in pain. "...And hey, you called me without a  _'chan'_ to add to my name..."

Yamato chuckled.

"So... what was that this time...." Akiyama glanced weakly toward the opened vent, grasping his broken left arm with his right arm. "Will you go... to check outside....?" Without answering, the pilot crawled out of the vent and glanced around, the motionless bodies floating around. After checking on the bodies, he glanced over to the window.... 

"What the **HELL**!?" 

...and beyond the view of the cracked window, the moon was shattered in a half and what was left of the Hyper Gate, crumbled into small meteorite-sized rocks around the heavy damaged UFE Knossos now. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, it's starting a bit in the story. I hope you take a liking to Yamato and Lucas as I'm quite enjoy writing them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may be in need of a help with grammar. I'm Deaf so I don't know much of the things sound, please forgive me.

~ * Chapter 4 * ~

 

_“As I came to realize everyone, but two expert soldiers, a wounded engineer and Dr. Troyard, are gone. UFE Knossos is incapable of traveling in the space in that state of right now. I’ve learned Lucas Wolf insisted to be of to serve under Princess Lermina and to be able to teach her about the history of our birthplace, the Earth. And I’ve heard from Yamato Zendi that he had no longer believe in UFE, not after their assassins nearly killed me with explosives. He’d rather to follow me and Dr. Troyard to Mars than go back to Earth, back to those paranoid superiors. He only have all left of us on the Landing Castle now and don’t want to lose us. I wonder… what price is worth to fight for…?"_

 

* * *

 

**The Hope is Grief's Best Music.**

Ashes to Ashes 

 

* * *

**Six Months Earlier...**

**Year of 1999 on the Moon Base**

 

 

His sky blue eyes opened slightly, seeing a slight darkness in the chaotic chamber room with a slight direct of light from the transparent glass-like window that looks like to be about to crack. He recalled what caused that shook the chamber occurs not even a minute ago, something exploded somewhere on Moon Base even more violently than the first one exploded somewhere.  _Ugh, I have to find them and found out what the hell is going on._

“Is it safe now, Sir?” 

Lucas looked down at the maidservant and her princess under his protective body shielding them from the pieces of the metal ceiling falling on them. He remembered his first reaction when the chamber shook with waves of the explosion, he covered them with his own body in a quicksilver of speed. Nodding silently, he got back to his feet and shaking the dust off on his black bulletproofed evoshield chest guard suit under his army jacket.

“No.” He shook his head, his keen sights on the window with a frown on his face. “We must move to a safe place quickly.” 

Before this window ruptures from under the pressure of both the force of explosion, lack of oxygen and the gravity, that could result in our deaths. He thought with a wince. “Come on!” He turned sharply toward the semi-broken opened automatic sliding door, walking stiffly and picking up the assault rifle on his way. When he realized the girls hadn’t followed him, he slightly turned back with half-confused stern stare at them over his right shoulder. “What’s matter?” 

“Princess….” Maidservant Andraya hesitated slightly, biting her lower lip as she looked sadly at the destroyed strange-looking wheelchair. “…she can’t walk, sir…” 

With a groan, the specialist turned fully to them and quickly walked back to the grounded princess, kneeling down to her. “Hop on, Princess. I will carry you.” He stated with a look that leaves them no room to argue as the princess timidly wrapped her arms around his neck, being hopped on his back. “Now we must **go** now.” 

The Maidservant followed the specialist carrying the princess on his back out of the chamber room into the hallway, thankfully one of the door sealed in to keep them from losing their precious oxygen to breath. Unfortunately, the Martians don’t possess a space suit in that situation either… 

 _Is that because of the power of Aldnoah that keeps them alive…?_  Lucas wondered with a concern frown, his eyes scanning every halls and every doors.  _Or something to keep them from losing oxygen?_

“…Sir….?” 

“…Hm?” 

“Why do you killed these men, especially they are Terrans like you?” Andraya asked curiously, her green eyes staring at him in a slow awe. 

“….” 

She looked down as she walked beside the UFE specialist, clasping her hands together tightly. “…Sorry.” 

Lucas sighed, adjusting the quiet yet listening princess on his back. “I have no tolerance on men who are murdering women and children….even innocent civilians for no reason, it didn’t matter if we are Terrans or not. We have a highly unpleasant history of killing each other on Earth before you Martians come here.” 

Maidservant Andraya looked surprised and horrified at him, as he glanced around the corners before they walked past. “….I don’t know that...” 

“I see… Are you  _aware_  of how political system works in the history?” 

She shook her head. 

Sighing, the UFE soldier turned the corner. “I see. I suppose I have no choice but to _educate_ you and Princess in order to _survive_ this war. You must  _survive_  if you were to  _comprehend_  about the political system between your people and my people for the sake of a peace.” 

“…Thank You…” 

Surprised at the timid voice behind his head, he turned slightly so in the corner of his eyes to see the wonder and grateful looks in the eyes of the eleven years old young princess he was piggybacking on his back. He turned back with a small smile on his stern face. 

_Perhaps there is a hope._

 

***

 

Meanwhile in the damaged UFE Knossos stranded on one of the shattered moon in space, thankfully it was hidden behind from the battles between the Martians and the Terrans. Akiyama sighed, adjusting his broken arm in a sling painfully before looking around in the control room before he pushed off some panels dangling from the ceiling. 

"WHAT DID YOU MEAN  **'OFF-COURSE'**???" Yamato yelled, slamming his palms on the green screen next to him. 

"It must be because of what happened on the Moon Base, it affected the gravity strongly enough to force the rocket to careering off-course from the intended route to the Parnassos Base." The space engineer assumed, narrowing his hazel green eyes on the green screen. "In the worst-case scenario, the rocket might have been...."

 

**Beep-Beep.**

 

"....out of the range." Akiyama finished with a disappointed sigh, closing his eyes tightly as he collapsed back onto the chair in shame and then he gripped his injured shoulder in pain. "...Shit." 

"Oh man! Oh Man! Commander Mizushima is going to **murder** me for _fucking_ sure!!!" The pilot cursed loudly, his fingers tangling into his purple spiked hairs in panic as he watched the dot disappeared from the green screen.    

Akiyama sighed again, lifting his hand above the control panel and pressed few buttons with a little difficulty.  _Guess it's up to me to try and track down the wandering rocket in the scattered remains of the broken Moon are now float in a belt of debris surrounding the Earth. It had a tracker, but it won't be easy since it is outside our radar's range._

Suddenly the walkie-talkie came to life-crackles-startled them, they jumped in union at the sudden noise of the walkie-talkie as four pairs of eyes darted to it in confusion. It's static snapped at first before the familiar voice come out.

 

_[.....Zendi..... Can you.... hear me....?.....]_

 

"It's that _damn_ Wolf!" Yamato exclaimed in surprise, lunging at the walkie-talkie in a frenzied panic and seized it up in his hand. Feeling relieved for some weird reason, he shook his head and pressed the button to respond back. "Damn about time! What is taking you so long, Wolf?!" 

 

_[.....I am unable.... to find others..... But I found.... the princess and her maidservant..... in a room.... with UFE assassins..... I am able....take them out.....in a quick reaction.... to protect the girls...]_

 

"...Jeez..." The pilot sighed rubbing his eyes tiredly with his other hand, arching his head back onto the top of his chair.  _As expect of that damn bastard.... He really can't hold that back when it comes to women in danger.... He is really a gentleman in that situation, even if he's a heartless sniper. He have no tolerance for people who committed a murder on these innocents._

"....UFE Assassins? It would explains why the Moon _blown up in fucking pieces._ A astray one of some bullets or missiles from one of these morons battling in space hits the Hyper Gate will caused it to be out of the control." He side-glanced at the cracked window to watch the battles in space through the scattered moon debris.

 

_[.....the Moon blown up....what the hell, how....? Never mind that.... How's the kid...?....]_

 

Yamato stared blankly at the walkie-talkie, sweat dropped.  _Well.... Crap!_

 

***

Meanwhile in the royal chamber room, the door knob turned and the door opened revealing the sniper in the lead stepped in cautiously. His ice sky blue eyes quickly scouted a entire chamber before he validated it’s a safe to stay. “It’s all clear.” He said in a confirmed tone, letting the maidservant take the princess off his back and watched her to place the small girl onto the royal bed. 

The royal bed reminded him of a place he had once visited during his school trip, it’s eerily almost identically to the British Royal bedchamber of the Queen Carolina, Queen Consort of King George IV from 1820 until her death in 1821. Except that sheet, blanket, and pillows were bright blue, almost like Prussian blue. The supports of the bed were made of something a solid black, perhaps a volcanic basalt. Then again, it’s too difficult for a sniper like him to tell what it was made of, if it’s not of the Earth material. 

That thought made Lucas wished he could have asked Dr. Troyard about how can the Martians made that stuffs when Mars don’t have materials that Earth have. With a tired sigh, he reached into the bag he was currently carrying with him before the incident and pulled out with a familiar walkie-talkie out of it. He might be well try to find out what the hell is going on. 

While the sniper was trying to contact someone with the walkie-talkie, the maidservant fixed the blue pillows behind her Highness. “Is that okay, your Highness?” Maidservant Andraya said with a gentle smile, fussing softly over the bed. 

Princess Lemina nodded weakly, her arms trembling barely unnoticeable. “Mm.” 

It is understandable, considering what happened on the Moon Base just a few hours ago. Not to mention, she also witnessed her mother and a bodyguard being killed by the Terran assassins. Thankfully, their somewhat ally just happened to be there in a perfect timing to stop what it was about to happened to them the same thing that happened to her mother. 

“WHAT DID YOU MEAN  **‘OFF-COURSE’**???”

The small princess and the royal servant turned their heads toward the loud outburst that the enraged sniping Specialist, who looked like as if he was about to strangling someone to death, shouted onto the walkie-talkie he held in his left black gloved hand and glaring darkly at it. 

For some strange reason, that sniper suddenly have experiencing a  _Déjà vu_ at the moment.

“What is the heck wrong with you, You damned **Tigris***!” Lucas snarled furiously, his eyes flashing feral reminded Andraya of a wild beast she heard in the Earth story, a mythical wolf to be feared. “No time! We have to find Commander Mizushima, Kaizukas, and Dr. Troyard right now!” 

 

A pause. 

 

“I don’t fucking **care** about your precious spaceship!  _Just find a way to get here now, Tigris!_ ” He spat at the walkie-talkie and lifted his index finger off the speak button with a harsh sigh.

“What’s a ‘Tigris’?” The small princess asked widening her eyes in curious suddenly, surprising the sniper at her now excited tone. The startled sniper gawked at her for a minute before he managed back to his stoic face, turning off his walkie-talkie and pocketed it inside one of his chest pockets.

“It means ’Tiger’ in Latin, Princess.” 

“And what’s a Tiger?” 

“…”

_Is she for real? …Right, she’s a Martian…_

 

***

Back to UFE Knossos. 

Turning off his walkie-talkie with a long suffering sigh escaped from the purple-haired crimson-eyed pilot. “Man, that damned **Ookami*** is scary when he’s pissed off.” Yamato grumbled, jamming it into the space bag ignoring the blank stare from the injured space engineer beside him. 

 “Yeah. No kidding, Yamato-san.” Akiyama shook his head, carrying the small aid box with a red cross in one hand. He had to take a pain killer pill to stop the pain in his arm. At the rate, he need a real doctor to take a look at his broken arm to determine whether or not to cut it off. There is no way to keep his broken arm any longer, especially the Moon Base don’t have a medical center last time he checked. “I told you, I could have talked to him instead of you.”

“Tch, whatever.” The pilot sighed taking the second space bag from the engineer, not wanting to strain his friend in pain any more. “Now what? Knossos is already damaged and our precious air is running out of time, too.” 

Akiyama frowned in thought. “What about that vehicle we have below…?” He gestured toward the location of the map where the space automobile have been kept for a purpose. “That Lunar Jeep.” 

“Can it be capable of to reach there….?” Yamato wondered, rubbing his face wearily. _….If I had to pull a miracle for both of us to reach the destination without the possibility of suffering harm or injury that resulted our death in space._

Yamato glanced at the window, watching the view of the broken moon. “…We have _no choice_ but to do it.” 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tigris means "Tiger" in Latin. 
> 
> Ookami means "wolf" in Japanese. "Kami" also means "God". So in the way, it could translate into "white wolf god.", I guess.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now back to Commander Khundmir's Point of View during before and after the Heaven's Fall incident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own any characters belong to Aldnoah.Zero, in anime and in manga. I owned Khu, Yamato, Lucas, Andraya, and any other characters are mine. My grammar may be bad, please forgive me. I may be in need of a help with grammars if it is necessary. 
> 
> Now....
> 
> Enjoy.

~ * Chapter 5 * ~

 

_“I had thought Emperor Gilzeria died when the Hyper Gate exploded. But I found out the truth from Lucas Wolf, who had heard the last words from Minamo’s dying wife under the rubbles in the hallway. Lieutenant Commander Kaizuka Minamo… What have you done? What the hell are you thinking about going after him when the battles between Martians and Terrans duking out in space? What went through your brain that you can be capable of stopping him yourself, alone?"_

  

 

* * *

 

 

**The Mirror Reveals the Truth**

You Reap What You Sow

 

 

* * *

**Six Months Earlier...**

**Year of 1999 on the Moon Base**

**An Hour Before the First Incident**

 

 

Commander Mizushima Khundmir stepped in through the automatic sliding door, his purple eyes landed on the familiar officers, the Kaizuka couple, standing in the corner, talking to Warrant Officer Falkenrath along with two other doctors while Dr. Troyard talking to other Martians in the unrecognizable white uniforms. _Apparently about the Aldnoah drive,_  Khu guessed. 

“Ah. You must be Commander Mizushima Khundmir.” 

A unfamiliar voice with a hint of a cunning tone caused him changed his gaze away from the group to the tall blond man smiling broadly, approaching him in the royal black uniform that gave Khu the feeling of a little intimidated by his presence. He must be Second Emperor Gilzeria Vers, the firstborn son of the First Emperor Rayregalia Vers Rayvers. 

“Yes.” Khu nodded sharply, crossed his arms across his high-ranking uniform chest. “You, too, must be Second Emperor Gilzeria Vers.” Ignoring the hatred glares directed toward him from the low-ranking Martian soldiers in the grey uniforms in the Audience Chamber. 

 _Ah, I must be so popular with these Martians._ Khu thought sarcastically, his lip twitched upward in amusement. Blame on his soldiers’ influences, especially Officer Zendi, on him to cause to have a twisted sense of humor in a situation.

Suddenly, Emperor Gilzeria laughed. “My! Such bravery, Commander!” He shook his head with a small hint of a sudden respect in his eyes and he turned his attention to Dr. Troyard and two other doctors. “So, about Aldnoah drive…” 

Silently, the UFE commander sighed in relief ignoring the dirty looks he received from his warrant officer. That was the reason he despised the royal people, it’s like to face to face the lion in the den. You can never know when one decide to strike. 

In corner of his left eye, he noted a lone man in the white uniform sitting in the chair, staring at him in a deep thought while holding his chin with a white gloved hand and other gloved hand rested on his upper arm. It wasn’t a look of hatred, more like… 

 _...a curious snake that watched a brave mouse…_  

The thought disturbed him so he had to dismissed it quickly. 

 

 

* * *

 

_“I should have known… If I had known, I would have prevent that idiot from falling in a obvious trap during the chaos. This is some bullshit messed up in this situation. I’m glad that I’m just a commander soldier, not a damn politician to fix that ill-fated problem. I don't know if it's about Aldnoah shit or warring over some piece of lands or being power-hungry had finally gone to their head. I don't. Like it. At All. Why did that Doctor insisted to going there to see Aldnoah just for the sake of his stupid project?"_

 

 * * *

 

**A Minute Before the First Incident**

 

 

“….It has taken a great deal of time.” Dr. Troyard concluded, adjusting the glasses back onto his nose as his piercing sea green eyes at the Emperor while he flickered the detailed pages of his notebooks. “I’ve spent several years on this project, but I have yet find something I am looking for.” 

Commander Khundmir frowned inwardly, he hadn’t understand a single thing that come out of the scientist’s mouth about Aldnoah Drive and Hyper Gate. With a quick peek at his soldiers, he knew they hadn’t understand about it either. _…Why isn’t anyone who want to offer an explanation to Dr.Troyard’s theories?_ He silently wondered, rubbling his forehead in annoyance. 

 

**“INVADERS!”**

 

Startled at the loud shout in the background, he stood up in a second as his keen eyes sharply spotted the source of the yell. It was a young soldier in the low-ranking blue uniform. Very young, probably a little older than Slaine Troyard. Short black hair. Piercing navy blue eyes. The look on his face reminded Khu of his friends that lives in the far east. Stoic. Respect. 

Before he could command or do something to do in the situation, the audience chamber suddenly become chaotic at the moment when the gunshot was heard outside the chamber.

The first thing he noticed among the chaos, it was Warrant Officer Falkenrath as the soldier stalked toward the distracted Emperor with a gun in his hands. The suspicious look on his face as if he was going to do something that he might be regret. _Don’t tell me….!_

 

**“Halt!”**

 

The sound of the gun being _reloaded_.

The soldier suddenly split away from the unit, startling the Kaizuka couples with his unexpected behavior. Outside the Moonbase, the commander become aware of there was an going on battle in space that he hadn’t been informed of the movement between the Vers and the United Forces of Earth. 

Khu somehow feel relieved that his split-second decision for him to issued the order to his soldiers to sending the Troyard kid to UFE space ship being accompanied by Officer Zendi and Officer Wolf; heeding to the alarm in his mind at the moment when he learned of Second Emperor Gilzeria’s objection for the Earth. That kid should be safe once the space ship reached to Parnassos Base. 

His purple eyes focused on the back of the soldier as the man turned his back, springing toward the unsuspected Emperor thanks to the sudden chaos, with a black gun in one of his hands. **_No, you won’t!_**

In the slow motion, the commander tackled the soldier roughly onto the floor as the bullet collided onto the wall with a loud bang, narrowly missing the Emperor who ducked along with Dr. Troyard and few of the remaining engineering expert team. He held the trashing body onto the floor with a great strength, grunting when he was nearly kicked and elbowed. 

In the corner of his sights, the Emperor Gilzeria and Dr. Troyard escaped safely through one of those doors being escorted by the Kaizuka soldiers. So it’s only left the young man in the low-ranking blue uniform, few martians in low-ranking grey uniform, a man in the white uniform that could be a Count whose name he don’t care to learn, and himself… along with this traitor… in the very room.

“What the hell are you doing, **Falkenrath**?!” Khu demanded, harshly pressed the traitor’s face onto the marble floor. “Answer me now! _Why are you point the gun at him?!_ ”

It was only his _answer_ when the soldier pulled _something_ out of his uniform shirt with his left hand…

 

 

* * *

 

_“Much to my surprise and disgust, it was Warrant Officer Falkenrath the one who committed a suicide and a murder. Failing at the attempt to kill the Emperor, he retorted to the second thing he can do - he blown himself up in the hope of killing us all. In the result, only few martians in the low-ranking grey uniforms were dead. The young Martian boy in the low-ranking blue uniform, a Martian man in the white uniform and I managed to survive that bomb. At same time, I don’t know what’s going on with the Kaizukas and Second Emperor since I wasn’t there to witness.”_

 

 * * *

 

**A hour Before the Second Incident**

 

 

In the audience chamber is now in ruin due to the bomb gone off, no thanks to the certain suicidal soldier. One of the rubbles suddenly topped off, revealing the coughing commander in a dusted uniform. “That _damn_ crazy old Falkenrath…” He cursed under his breath. “If it weren’t for you to show me a trapped door on the floor, we would have been **dead** for good, young boy.” He chuckled wheezingly, smiling down at the young Martian in the low-ranking blue uniform who swiped the dust off his face to hide the embarrassment. 

He heard an annoyed huff behind his back, he glanced back over his shoulder to see the Martian in the white uniform, which is now coated by dirt, climbed out of the trapped door. “Okay, you… uh… What’s your name, boy?” He asked as his purple eyes darted back to the young boy with a small smile. 

 

A pause.

 

“…Harklight…” The boy hesitated. 

 

“…Okay, Harklight.” Khu nodded slowly, his fingerless gloved hand gestured toward the fussing Martian behind his back. “Can you escort that man somewhere safe while I’m going to find my soldiers and find out what’s going on, now with the traitor dead?”

“ **Yes Sir!** ” Harklight quickly saluted as he went over to the still fussing Martian man in the white uniform. 

The commander turned around and went after the direction of where he had last seen the Kaizukas escorted the Second Emperor and Dr. Troyard. He had to find out what’s going on and had to protect Dr. Troyard no matter what in the situation. According to Falkenrath, UFE superiors decided that Second Emperor is too dangerous and had to be assassinated quickly as soon as possible. 

 

_So this whole mission had to be covert infiltrators to assassinate the Emperor, without my knowledge. Damn it._

 

Gritting his teeth furiously, he ran through the hall in the search of his soldiers or any of the remaining engineer expert team which he doubt they’ll be still alive after that. Pulling the black gun out of his belt gun case on his waist, the commander cocked it in a case when he met an infiltrator in his way.  

When he went past the door, as the door slide-opened silently with a sound of hissing. 

 

“… _Don’t Move_.” 

 

His purple eyes suddenly become piercing sharp at the familiar sound of the infiltrator’s voice behind his back, he slowly turned his head toward the familiar figure held the gun in the hand aiming at the commander. Short brown hair. Brown Eyes. Stubbled chin. And that stupid grin.

 

“… _Mikage_.” 

 

 

* * *

 

 

_"It was my fated to face at the gun of my old companion in the army whose lead the assassination mission and the same one was my senpai when I was first draft into his platoon. That mission.... Perhaps he is not the one to lead, it could be his superior somehow...I will found out the truth in time. Mikage-san... He's such a show pony.... I have a feeling that I'll see him again after that Moonbase incident. Preferable not to see him again in next war this soon. I know him well enough that he don't have a death wish to duke it out against me. Nor my dead wish to do the same to him. Ah, so misfortune."_

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll bet any of you knows who this character is, standing before Khu. I'm slowly catching up with A/Z manga.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little glimpse of UFE Knossos Commander Mizushima Khundmir's past. 
> 
> I'll apologize if anyone don't like my grammars, I'll do my best. I'm in need of a help with my grammars. :-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little hint toward A/Z Manga.

~ * Chapter 6 * ~

 

_“Kaizuka Minamo’s objection was to stop Second Emperor Gilzeria, on the sudden request of Gilzeria’s second wife; Ruelle Envers, Princess Lermina’s mother. She met him once, kissed him once. Lt. Commander Kaizuka managed to find Gilzeria within the chaos between the Martians and the Terrans, he fought against him. During the personal battle, a stray bullet hit the Hyper Gate. And the rest of the story is history."_

  

 

* * *

 

**The Orange Butterfly**

The Misfortune of the Wise

 

 

* * *

**Six Months Earlier...**

**Year of 1999 on the Moon Base**

**30 minutes Before the Second Incident**

 

When he went past the door, as the door slide-opened silently with a sound of hissing. 

 

“…Don’t Move.” 

 

His purple eyes suddenly become piercing sharp at the familiar sound of the infiltrator’s voice behind his back, he slowly turned his head toward the familiar figure held the gun in the hand aiming at the commander. Short brown hair. Brown Eyes. Stubbled chin. And that stupid grin.

 

“…Mikage.” 

 

A UFE Knossos Commander slowly turned his body fully faced a UFE Commander that stand before him, his eyes analyzing over his old friend in a white space suit and eyed at the black gun a little longer before flickered back to Mikage’s face. Grasping his gun in his right fingerless gloved hand a bit tight, Khundmir frowned suspiciously at him. “…Mikage-san.” He repeated again with a little firm. “What the hell are you doing here. Aren’t you suppose to be on Earth?” 

The UFE Commander lowered his gun a bit, a stern look on his face that was a little surprise for Khu. A Grinning Mikage is always a show pony… but when Mikage is serious, something must be serious so bad for him to have that stern look.

“I’ve got something to tell you, Mizushima-kun.” Mikage-san said quietly, in a cold tone. “I wasn’t suppose to be here, but…” His brown eyes flickered across the hallway before looking directly into Khu’s purple eyes. 

 

_What the hell….?_

 

“You’re in danger.” 

 

Commander Mizushima jerked back in surprise, barely lifting his gun in the air but he wouldn’t dare to shot Mikage without thinking. “What are you saying, Mikage-san? What the **hell** that suppose to **mean** , that I’m in _danger_!” He exclaimed, narrowing his eyes at the UFE Commander. “Is there something about those infiltrators and their secret mission to kill the Second Emperor?” 

“…And Dr. Troyard too.” 

He froze. _Wha…?_

“Why?” 

Mikage-san furrowed his eyebrows hesitantly for a moment, his brown eyes lowered to the ground. “Because he’s a _Martian Sympathizer_.” 

Khu stared at him disbelief, opening his mouth to say something nastier or to defend the scientist, but he was unable to get words out of his now lumped throat. Damn it, Dr. Troyard… 

_So those morons in high ranking at United Force of Earth are somehow feared Dr. Troyard would be on the Martians’ side and decided to have him killed too, so they can declare him to be murdered at the hands of the Martians. I’ll bet in the process, they will wish to get their hands on Dr. Troyard’s precious books on Aldnoah theories in order to help the cause for Earth. **Bullshit**. _

In somewhat logical, he must be killed because he protected Dr. Troyard meaning he must be also on the Martians’ side. **_Double bullshit_**. 

“Mikage-san…” Commander Mizushima began slowly, causing the commander’s stern brown eyes moved back to his piercing purple eyes. 

 

“Mizushima-sama!” 

 

Both they looked over at the direction of the loud cries as the familiar young Martian in a low-ranking blue uniform ran toward them.  “Harklight?” The purple-eyed commander asked in surprise, furrowing his eyebrows in a slight confusion at the sudden appearance of the young Martian. _Since when I was called “Mizushima-sama” by a young Martian, not even his own lieutenant commander to call him that? Was this boy a servant rather than a soldier?_

Harklight seems a bit unsettled, even for a low-ranking soldier like him. Suddenly Khu thought of that man in the white uniform with a cunning snake-like smile. _Is something happened to that man caused that young boy to be in distress?_

Harklight ran to him when his blue eyes landed on the man in the white spacesuit stand next to the Commander, with a black gun visible in the view. Tensed quickly at the sight of the stranger he don’t recognize as one of the Commander’s unit, he aimed the silver gun in a flash at Mikage. But his view of the man he was pointing his gun to was quickly blocked by the Commander that he was trying to protect from a possible to be an assassin.

“ **Don’t**.” Harklight heard Commander Mizushima’s firm tone, a black fingerless gloved hand clamped tightly on his silver gun to prevent him from shooting and moved the gun out of the way away from Mikage. “He’s just an ally of mine. He is not here to harm you, Harklight. Actually, he’s not one of those infiltrators either.”

 _Even although, Mikage-san was literally infiltrating himself into Moon Base without an request for his superior's permission…._ Khu thought wryly. 

Harklight lowered his gun hesitantly, frowning. 

Khu looked down at him for a moment and then to Mikage behind his back. “Mikage-san, you have to go back before anyone finds out that you’re not suppose to be here with me. You could be in trouble.” 

Mikage blinked, caught off guard by the UFE Knossos Commander’s words regardless. “Mizushima-kun…” He stammered in surprise and then he frowned. His stern brown eyes locked onto his piercing purple eyes, Mikage looked at him with that probing gaze of his, balancing between seeing if Mizushima’s words are true or not. 

His same fingerless gloved hand that was gripping on Harklight’s gun let go off and fell onto Harklight’s shoulder, turning him around as Mizushima glanced over his shoulder at Mikage . “Before you go, Mikage-san…” He hesitated for a second, then his face hardened. “My wife back on Earth…Akahana... She’s expecting… I… Please protect her for me!” He bowed quickly before pushing Harklight forward to ran along with him, running through the hallway leaving Mikage alone. 

 

“Mizushima-kun…” 

 

Mikage Souun watched them disappearing behind the corner of the hallway with an unreadable look on his face. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

_“Mikage Souun is, perhaps was, my superior and a best friend in one of the platoons in the United Force of Earth before I was a Commander of my own unit. He was the one you would trust to watch your back during the gunfight battle. I even found out years later, he also have a wife and she's quite beautiful at the sight. It's no surprised that they're going to have a wonderful family.... I wonder if I’m still alive long enough to see my baby growing up…”_

 

 

* * *

 

 

Beautiful. 

The glowing blue planet spins slowly in space beyond the view of the wall window, it was the first word to describe the home world came to his thought when Khu gazed upon it again through the glass as he ran past through the hallway along with Harklight. He hadn’t pay attention to the amazing scene because he was too busy focusing on his duty to protect the scientist. If he closed his eyes and remembered his time on Earth before he boarded the UFE Knossos. 

He recalled the sun blazes warm in the daytime and the moon glistens at night, and if he squinted his eyes even harder he could see Mars, a red speck among millions of white vibrant stars. He also recalled seeing her ruby-colored eyes sparkled under the light, feeling her sun-kissed soft skin against his skin, smelling the sweet scent of her flowing red-brown hair, and hearing the gentle laughter spilling from her smiling lips like a  silver bell. 

 

_Akahana…_

 

 

 

* * *

 [Flashback]

 

 

“When will you come back from your mission, Khu?” 

 

A drink in the hand halted an inch from his mouth at the sound of her soft voice, as if she was a bit anxious about the mission he was on since the Martians came to Earth. His purple eyes lifted from the book he was reading to the beautiful face of his wife sat across from him, twisting a straw from her favorite fruit drink and she was wearing a golden straw hat on her flowing red-brown hair. 

“Hm?” Khu blinked and then he lowered his drink, putting it back on the white table. “I don’t know. Depends on wether or not the mission will be success.” 

Akahana lowered her ruby eyes onto the white table. “I see.” 

His purple eyes softened at her now saddened face, he despised seeing her sad at his leaving for the mission. He had to do something to cheer her up, but he was lousy at comforting a sad girl, especially a beautiful one like her. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right back before you know it. Maybe even to bring you a lunar rock or something from Moon Base.” He attempted lamely, smiling awkwardly as he shut his book closed with a quiet clap. 

Akahana stared at him for awhile, making the commander uncomforted wondering if he did say something stupid. But to his surprise, she giggled. 

“Khundmir, you're never change at all.” She grinned wider, her ruby eyes softened with a burst of happiness as Khu saw the sun in her smile. “ Always worried about my feelings.” She rubbed her flat belly gently, making Khu realized the date of the calendar making her being one-month pregnant since that day he was informed by a grinning doctor at the hospital, when his wife was “sick”, that he’s a father. 

 

_I can’t believe I’m a father…_

 

“Ah. Well…” Khu scratched behind his head sheepishly, averting his purple eyes to right. Akahana was always a gentle soul at the heart, no matter when she was bullied at the high school years ago, she would always forgive. She believes in hope and she loves myth stories including the Norse legends. 

 

“Ah! Orange butterflies!” 

 

He snapped out of his trance at this and saw two bright orange butterflies flying side by side in the blue sky, drafting through the dark green leaves of the trees. 

“I heard about a story about the orange butterflies. 'When you see orange butterflies every day, miles apart from each other, they are bringing you good luck. The distance between them symbolizes the long time of harshness you must endure before the luck, the butterfly, strikes you. Keep your head up, and be strong, for the road ahead is patchy.’ What did you think, Khu?”  She smiled watching the orange butterflies flattering their beautiful wings against a gentle breeze. 

 

_I see… Orange butterflies…_

His purple eyes focused on two orange butterflies for a little longer before they disappeared out of the sight forever. 

 

_Brings good luck, despite a rough road, huh?_

 

 

[Flashback end]

* * *

 

 

 

Opening his purple eyes, he didn’t realize he already had his eyes closed as he ran past every halls and looked down at his black gun. He had promised his wife that he will come back to her just time before the birth of his precious little baby for him to witness and be there for his wife. 

      

_Hold on, Akahana…_

_Just a little longer. I’ll come to you as soon as possible after my mission is over - **no matter what!**_

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“WATCH OUT, Mizushima-sama!"

 

 

 

**BANG!**

 

 

 

A gunshot sent the man in the dark green spacesuit toppling backwards, snapping UFE Knossos Commander out of his trance in his memories. Some blood hit both on the metal floor and the glass window. Seeing more invaders coming from the  same direction of the corner of the hallway, he needed to do something about that before any more invaders coming in. 

 

Before the United Force of Earth invaders could react, six golden bullets hit them consecutively at all critical parts of their bodies. The corpses are now laying onto the metal floor, bleeding and pooling into the crimson puddle surrounding the bullet-ridden bodies.

 

Commander Mizushima huffed harshly, his sense of sharp hearing picked up the rapid sounds of the approaching footsteps from the corner of the hallway. Probably, they had picked up the sound of gunshots and come to inspect it. He don’t want to doing the same thing over again, he was tired of it. 

 

“Sealed that door, Harklight!” As the cadet did as he was told to do, slamming his palm onto the unfamiliar device on the wall and ducked down as a spray of bullets past his head. 

 

 

 

**Swish.**

 

 

 

_Come to think of it…_

 

“Cadet Harklight.” Khu asked sternly, watching keenly at the young Martian soldier as they climbed up rapidly on the metal stairs that lead them to the upper level. “Why are you doing here alone?” 

 

“Eh? Ah, His Majesty…” The Cadet understood. “He told me to find you and bring you to Dr. Troyard for some reason and then he also said he need to find 2nd Emperor Gilzeria. He was worried about His Highness may be still in danger.”

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

_“I was told to assassinate Second Emperor Gilzeria Vers Rayvers under the order of Vice-Admiral Eelis Hakkinen. I’ll be the one to end his life, along with his remaining family!” The deranged Warrant Officer Falkenrath cried out with a hatred look on his face, grinning widely as he held up a handheld remote with a red button in his left hand. “My buddies will find that traitorous bitch and killed her. That Bitch shouldn’t have fall in love with an enemy of the Earth!”_

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“I see… The 2nd Emperor’s life is still in danger.” The Commander nodded in agreement and then realized when something clicked in his mind. “…Eh, 'His Majesty'…? Who exactly he is?” 

 

Harklight stared disbelief at him, “You don’t know?” 

 

 

 

**KA-BOOM!!**

 

 

 

Both the Commander and the Cadet held on the railing for life, as the entire metal stairs shook at the sound wave of the loud explosion. Some of the metal stairs broke off from the wall behind the Commander, leaving them stranded on the stairs. Quickly, his purple eyes raked over every chance of escaping the shaking stairs and then he spotted a door - a less than a yard away from the young Martian soldier in the blue uniform. But it’s on other side. He have to jump over to there. 

 

“Harklight!” He bellowed, pointing his index finger at the door and the cadet complied, jumping over the rail and floated to the door safely. Commander Mizushima sighed in relief silently, scooted over to the cadet’s previous spot and gripped on the rail for support as he can use it to take an advantage of the gravity to jump.  

 

“Commander Mizushima!” 

 

Khu lifted his purple eyes in a second and the first thing he saw - a pipe coming toward him and then the darkness greeted him like a old friend. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**'When you see orange butterflies every day, miles apart from each other, they are bringing you good luck. The distance between them symbolizes the long time of harshness you must endure before the luck, the butterfly, strikes you. Keep your head up, and be strong, for the road ahead is patchy.’**

 

 

 

 

 

 

_…I don’t believe in luck._

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is indeed a legend about orange butterflies.


End file.
